Where Money Grew on Trees (Home Children)‪.‬

BETWEEN 1870 and 1940, over 100,000 Home Children were sent to Canada from charitable organizations in the United Kingdom. Although these immigrants and their descendants have made a remarkable contribution to Canadian society, their entire experience was tinged with sorrow and hardship. Already stigmatized as orphans in the Old Country, they were further marginalized in Canada: they were labelled as Home Children, as hired help, as immigrants. In addition to these social challenges, they had to confront inner demons. A "crisis in self-image" is a common effect of dislocation, which results from "migration, the experience of enslavement, transportation, or `voluntary' removal for indentured labour." (1) The Home Children, who courageously defined themselves against limiting social categories, are true survivors. They are strong individuals who overcame prejudice, dramatic change, and terrible homesickness at a very young age. Generally, these children knew little about their relatives or their heritage. They arrived in Canada after living in a caring but regimented environment where they acquired few interpersonal skills, little self-esteem, and virtually no individual attention or love.